Shoe heel



July 30, 1963 L. FABIAN 3,099,096

SHQE HEEL Filed Aug. 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Tii.l. r

INVENTOR. lows 7514 w w AM A T oy/v67 L. FABIAN SHOE HEEL July 30, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 24. 1961 INVENTOR. Lou/5 548 41) ATTOP/YE) 3,699,696 SHQE PEEL Louis Fabian, 33-35 76th St, Jackson Heights 72, ELY. Filed Aug. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 135,713 Claims. (Cl. 36-245) This invention relates to improvements in shoes and more particularly to an improved recessed heel for ladies shoes.

The present application is a continuation in part of my co-pending United States patent application Serial No. 66,965 filed in the United States Patent Office on November 3, 1960 and entitled Shoe Heel which in turn is a continuation in part of prior United States patent application Serial No. 860,161, filed December 17, 1959, entitled Heel and Shoe, both now abandoned.

In the conventional method of making shoes, a last is formed which may be made of wood or some other suitable material and may conform to individual specifications, if a shoe is custom-made to fit a particular foot, or it may be made in a standard size, if a shoe is to be massproduced.

Leather, or some other material, is then cut out and fitted around the last to form the shoe upper. This upper consists of an outer covering and an inner lining and covers all of the shoe last except the heel and sole portions. The back part of the upper requires a counter which is a relatively stiff piece of leather or other suitable material inserted and glued between the outer covering and the inner lining of the rear portion of the upper. This counter gives the back part of the upper the required stiffness and protects the back part of the foot.

Thereafter, the insole, or inner part of the sole consisting of two layers of leather material is then formed and is usually provided with a metal shank between the two. The metal shank protects the arch of the wearers foot and at the same time strengthens the shank of the shoe. The insole is temporarily aflixed to the sole part of the shoe last until after the outer sole and heel are attached, as more fully described hereinafter.

The lower edge of the upper, together with the lower edge of the counter, is then bent and fitted over the edge of the insole and fastened thereto by glue, cement or other suitable adhesive.

The next step is the usual application of a heel to the upper. The heel is separately made and may be made of any desired material, such as wood or plastic, and is usually glued onto the rear part of the upper by an adhesive. In order to obtain a secure bond, a temporary screw is inserted into the heel from the inside of the upper through the last and the insole to pull the heel tightly against the lower part of the upper. After the adhesive sets the temporary screw is removed and a permanent screw is inserted to cooperate with adhesive in holding the heel securely in place.

The next step is the addition of an outer sole which is fitted and adhered to the outer surfaces of the insole and the next and last step is the application of the usual toplift to the bottom of a heel.

It is well known in the usual method of making a ladies high and low heel shoe as described above that it is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve a satisfactory bond between the heel and the shoe which will be rugged enough to withstand the very considerable stresses to which a shoe is subjected. It is also known that the heel of both high and low heel ladies shoes gives or moves about relative to the remainder of the shoe under stresses of water. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel type of recessed heel which may be securely joined to the body of the shoe and which will thereby minimize the chance of breakage so that even a very high heel shoe will be safer and the wearer of such shoes will not be subjected to the dangers of breakage in use.

It has also been found desirable to provide a rigid shoe construction with a minimum of give between the heel and the remainder of the shoe. Such a construction provides a more stable platform upon which the wearer walks. It is an object of this invention to provide a recessed heel molded or constructed in one unit and integrated with the shoe which will conform to and hold in a secure grasp the heel of the foot. A recessed heel provides a rigid pocket and the fact that the heel conforms to and has no give relative to the shoe eliminates a wobbly heel and makes walking more comfortable. It thus protects the wearers foot and will benefit both an abnormal and normal healthy foot because both a normal foot and an ailing foot carry the weight of the wearer principally on the heel of the shoe.

As outlined above, conventional shoes include a counter portion at the back side of the shoe upper. The counter is a relatively stiff piece of leather or other suitable material which is inserted at the rear of the shoe between the inner and outer linings to stiffen the back of the shoe. The manufacture of a shoe with this separate counter creates special problems since the counter must be inserted between the inner and outer lining and must be bent inwardly and fitted to conform to the shape of the shoe last before the heel is mounted. This invention eliminates the need of a separate counter and the inherent difficulty of shaping the counter to a last and thus simplifies the art of shoemaking by in effect integrating a heel and counter and making them in one piece to conform to the shape of the wearers foot.

The shoe of the present invention, which requires no counter, is advantageous because the material and labor going into the manufacture of the separate counter is eliminated, and the labor required in fitting and gluing the counter over the last is also eliminated.

In high fashion shoes, the height of the heel lends style to the shoes; therefore, it is desirable that the heel be relatively high to conform to the current trends of fashion. However, heels may only achieve a certain height consonant with comfortable wear. This invention further provides a recessed heel construction having a grip like action on the wearers heel which is extremely stable and furthermore which when contrasting with the shoe upper gives an illusion of height, making the heel appear actually higher than it is.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a true form of a womans heel (a portion of a human foot).

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an insole liner with a metal shank adapted to be utilized in a conventional shoe construction.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a conventional shoe upper without a counter and having an insole and metal shank.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an improved recessed heel construction of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the heel construction shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view with a portion broken away and shows the recessed heel construction of this invention, the upper portion of the shoe, the metal shank of the shoe, and the insole and illustrates the specific portions and components of a shoe in addition to the heel portion, which may be included in various modifications of this invention as explained more fully in other portions of this application.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the improved heel construction of this invention embodied in a ladies pump shoe.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a modification of this invention with the heel embodied in a different type of shoe.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an oxford type shoe constructed with a further modification of a heel of this invention which is a lower, heavier heel.

FIG. 10 is a perspective View of a further modification of a recessed heel of this invention showing a heel platform extending from the back of the foot down to the ball section of the foot to illustrate that this invention may also be of any desired length or height within this area.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the modification shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a perspective View of the heel construction shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 embodied in a sandal type shoe.

FIG. 13 is a perspective View of a conventional ladies shoe of the form used in the prior art of shoe-making, showing the portion eliminated by utilizing this invention.

In general, this invention eliminates the use of a separate counter and contemplates and provides a recessed shoe heel of a unitary, one-piece construction in which the ordinary heel portion of a shoe having an upper platform also embodies upwardly extending cup-shaped side portions molded and adapted to conform to a wearers foot, thereby providing a rigid support for the heel of a wearers foot. The upwardly extending sides of the cupshaped portion blend smoothly with the top of the platform during the molding operation to conform to the shape of the foot and the upper end of the cup-shaped portion is resilient and extends inwardly toward the center of the shoe also in conformity with the shape of a human foot to thereby provide a gripping action. The gripping action of the heel also eliminates the need for a temporary screw when applying the heel to the shoe upper part, and thus reduces the manufacturing cost, especially in connection with mass-produced shoes. The heel construction of this invention is adapted to be rigidly secured to a shoe upper and eliminates the need for a counter as part of shoe construction. In another modiiication of this invention the heel construction extends from the heel of a wearers foot on down to the ball portion of the foot providing a rigid support for this entire pontion of the foot.

in still another modification of this invention, the need for the rear portion of the shoe upper is also eliminated and the construction of this invention embodies in one molded piece or unit: the heel, the functional equivalent of the shoe counter, and the rear :of the shoe upper. In still another modification of this invention, the need for a steel shank is also eliminated and the construction of this invention embodies in one molded piece or unit the heel, the functional equivalent of a shoe counter, the rear of the shoe upper and the functional equivalent of the steel shank. In still another modification of this invention, the construction covered by this invention embodies in one molded piece or unit the complete rear portion of the shoe (including shoe upper, heel and the parts of the inner sole) to the hall of the foot (32 in FIG. 1) as shown in FIG. l0 and the only portion of the shoe required to be separately manufactured is the portion extending forward from the bunion of the toot (see FIG. 12, portion outside of thick lines).

Referring to FIG. 1, the heel portion of the ladys foot extends generally in the area denoted by reference numeral 31. The recessed heel of this invention is in tegrated and molded in one piece to grip this portion of the foot. The portion of the [Boot from the heel down to the ball portion denoted by reference 32 may also be supported by a modified type of heel construction, also part of this invention, by an extension of any desired length as will be more fully described hereinafter.

With reference to FIG. 13, in the prior art of shoemaking, there is an excess portion 33 of the rear and side walls of the shoe which is necessary because of the separate counter which is inserted between the inner and outer lining. By utilizing an integrated molded one piece shoe heel as in this invention, the excess portion 33 which is shaded and shown to the right of the line in FIG. 13 may be eliminated since the need of a separate counter is eliminated. When the heel is molded it may be proportioned to every height, width or length of the foot.

FIGS. 2-7 show an improved heel construction of this invention as applied to a ladies pump type shoe. An integral one piece heel 20 is adapted to be applied to a shoe upper 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper does not have the usual counter portion. An inner sole 23 with a metal shank 22 is shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6. This inner sole is joined to the shoe upper 21 to produce the construction shown in FIG. 3. On the top of the inner sole there may be provided a sock lining as is well-known in the art of shoemaking.

The heel 20 per se may be made of any suitable material, such as metal, nylon or plastic and includes an average height heel support portion 19 which may be varied as will be apparent hereinafiter to various sizes and proportions and this portion contains an integral upper platform 27 and a cup-shaped wall portion 28 extending upwardly therefrom. The lower edge of the heel is provided with a rubber or leather tip called a top-lift (not shown). The cup-shaped wall portion has an inner surface which blends smoothly with the top of the platfonn 27 as it is molded to conform to the shape of a wearers heel. As evident from FIG. 5, the upper ends 18 of the sides of the cup-shaped portion 28 are extended back and are inherently biased inwardly to resiliently grip and hold a wearers heel. Because the upper ends 18 of the wall portion 28 are thin, they are also resilient and hence will conform to the wearers heel. These upper ends 18 of the sides of the cup-shaped portion 28 curve inwardly slightly more than the human foot contours inwardly at the corresponding position to thereby apply enough pressure to grip the side of the foot at the heel by the springlike action. As weight is placed on the foot, the sides of the heel move outwards a small amount but the upper ends 18 will also move outwardly therewith While still providing the spring-like gripping action on the foot. As weight is removed from the foot (as when placed on the other foot in walking) the sides of the foot in the heel portion will move inwardly to assume normal position. However, the upper ends 18 at the sides of the cup-shaped portion 28 also move inwardly due to their inherent bias to the inward heel gripping position to restrain the shoe from moving relative to the wearers heel. Thus, the shoe is not deformed nor is the wearers heel adversely affected. This is not true of the conventional shoe of which the rear portion becomes deformed and loose through wear.

The outer surface of the cup-shaped extension 28 blends smoothly with the remaining portion of the outer surface of the heel 20 as shown in FIG. 4 to produce a smooth outer surface appearance which when contrasting to the shoe upper gives an illusion of height as will be explained hereinafter.

In use, the heel 20 is applied to the bottom of the insole 23 with the cup-shaped portion 28 rigidly surrounding the outer portion of the shoe upper 21. An extending .tongue 29 may be provided for further reinforcing the shank portion 22 of the shoe. This is an alternative and may be omitted if desired. However, the tongue 29 may be of any desired length and if it is long enough to support the portion 32 of the foot (as shown in FIG. 1) it acts as a shank and the separate metal shank 22 may be eliminated. The heel is then secured by cementing between the inside of the cup-shaped portion and the outside of the shoe upper 21 and by a suitable fastening means such as a nail or screw 30 extending through the inner sole 23 into the platform 27 'of the heel 20. After the heel 20 is in place and secured as outlined above, an outer sole 24 is positioned to cover the bottom of the inner sole 23 and to cover the extending tongue 29. The outer sole 24 is shown in FIG.6 and can be constructed to come up to the breasting 25 :or all the way down to the lift section 26.

The completed shoe with the recessed heel in the form of a pump is shown in FIG. 7. It is obvious that a heel which grips the foot in this manner is not limited to a pump shoe but may be in various other forms of shoes.

FIG. 8 shows the heel 20 of this invention applied to a sandal in which the upper has no separate rear portions. That is to say, the recessed heel unit itself includes the rear portion of the shoe upper. In this embodiment, the straps 34 form the upper link or lace into the recessed heel at 35 and into a loop 36 of the shoe upper to complete the sandal. As the recessed heel unit is progressively extended to a greater length forward in the direction of the ball of the foot, and this can be done to any extent desired, it will include a progressively larger portion of the shoe upper, of the shank of the shoe and of the shank support 39 of the shoe, until, in its final and longest possible extension, it will include the complete rear portion of an entire shoe as is shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 9 shows another modification in which the heel of this invention is applied to an oxford type shoe 37 in which the height of the heel may be lower and the supporting or lift section of the heel may be wider.

FIG. shows a modification of the invention in which a recessed heel 38 extends from the back of the heel of a wearers foot all the way down to the ball section of the foot. Again, there is the heel platform 27, and the upwardly extending cup-shaped portion 28 with the inside thereof blending smoothly with the platform to conform to the outside surface of the wearers heel and curved inwardly at the upper ends 18 of the sides to grip the wearers heel. Again, the outside of the cup-shaped portion 28 blends smoothly with the outside portion of the remainder of the heel to given a unitary and smooth construction. Of course, the modification of FIG. 10 does not need or utilize a steel shank because it is molded in one piece and is rigid. The heel shown in FIG. 10 may also be applied to a pump or any other suitable type shoe upper. A recessed heel unit as shown in FIGS. 10, l1 and 12 is the same as the recessed heel unit initially described except that it is extended to the length of the ball of the foot and thereby includes in a single molded unit the complete rear portion of a shoe including the rear half of the inner sole (23 in FIG. 2), the functional equivalent of a metal shank (FIG. 2 at 22), the complete shank of the shoe, the complete shank support of the the shoe (31 and 32 in FIG. 1), the complete rear portion of the shoe upper 21 from a point parallel to the ball of the foot backwards, the functional equivalent of the counter and also the heel of the shoe. By making all these portions and components of the shoe in a single molded unit, a separate manufacture of all these component parts is dispensed with.

FIG. 12 is a further modification of the heel shown in FIG. 10 as applied to sandal type shoe 40, again with a loop or lace similar to the arrangement shown in FIG. 8.

With the construction of FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, the molded heel construction 38 not only grips the heel but supports the foot from the heel through the arch down to the ball portion of the foot as shown at 31 and 32 of FIG. 1.

The heel in all modifications is of one piece or unitary construction and all of the portions are integral. It may be made of any suitable rigid material such as heavy plastic, steel, aluminum, brass, hard rubber, wood, leather or the like and may be covered with leather or other suitable covering materials. It need not necessarily be covered, however, before the manufacture of a shoe is completed because the material from which the unit is molded may be dyed or colored while in liquid or plastic form and when taken out of the mold will already have the requisite color and surface. This construction with the recessed heel forming a pocket for the wearers foot shape and rigidly cemented or bonded to the shoe upper provides a secure means of attaching the heel to the shoe so that there will be no give therebetween as the shoe is joined to the heel not only at the platform 27 but also along the inside of the cup-shaped portion 28. Also, the extending tongue 29, provided in the shoes, reinforces the shank. Under actual tests, this shoe has been proven able to withstand stresses much greater than that which causes heels to snap off other shoes of various heel heights.

To provide an illusion of height, the heel and smoothly blended cup-shaped portion 28 may be contrasted with the shoe upper.

It Will be seen that this invention covers a method of making either all or any part of the portion of the shoe shown in FIGS. 10 and 12. The precise shape or model of the unit and the precise portion of the shoe which it is to provide is a matter of styling, design or practical manufacturing considerations. FIG. 8 shows that the recessed heel unit may include the rear portion of the shoe upper. The cup-shape portion of such rear upper may extend upward and also extend forward to any extent in the direction of the ball of the foot. The lower heel portion may also be so extended forward. The cupshaped portion and the heel portion may be so extended forward either separately or together as desired. Such an extension, for instance, may be only half an inch, or one inch, or two inches, or four inches. In each case, as a result of such extension, the shape of model of the recessed heel shoe unit changes accordingly, in each case assuming a shape or form chosen by those skilled in the art of shoemaking in the light of the selected design, taste and practical manufacturing considerations.

Other variations may be apparent to one skilled in the art from the description of the preferred embodiment and modifications thereof. This invention, therefore, is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A one-piece shoe heel adapted to nest about the heel portion of the wearer comprising a platform adapted to engage and support the underside of the heel portion of the wearer, a generally upright support portion integral with and extending downwardly from said platform, an upstanding wall portion integral with and extending upwardly from said platform, said wall portion being flush with the side and back of the platform to nest about the heel of said wearer and being flush with the side and the back of said upright support portion to form a smooth continuation of said upright support from the lower edge of said upright support portion to the upper edge of the upstanding wall portion so as to give the appearance of a higher and more graceful heel, said upstanding wall portion being resilient and biased inwardly to grip the heel portion of the wearer.

2. A shoe heel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a supporting tongue extends forwardly from said platform and is integral with the platform.

3. A shoe heel as claimed in claim 1, wherein said platform extends forwardly to the ball portion of the wearer and said support portion extends forward and merges with the forward end of the platform.

4. A one-piece shoe heel adapted to nest about the heel portion of the upper of a shoe comprising a platform adapted to engage and support the underside of the heel portion of the shoe upper, a generally upright support portion integral with and extending downwardly from said platform, an upstanding wall portion integral with and extending upwardly from said platform, said wall portion being flush with the side and back of the platform to nest about the heel of said shoe upper to facilitate a secure bond to the upper and to form a smooth continuation of said upright portion and give the appearance of a higher and more graceful heel, said upstanding wall portion being resilient and biased inwardly to grip the heel portion of the upper.

5. A shoe comprising an upper and one-piece shoe heel adapted to nest about the heel portion of the upper, said shoe heel having a platform adapted to engage and support the underside of the heel portion of the shoe upper, a generally upright support portion integral with and extending downwardly from said platform, an upstanding Wall portion integral with and extending upwardly from said platform, said Wall portion being flush with the side and back of the platform to nest about the heel of said shoe upper to facilitate a secure bond to the upper and to form a smooth continuation of said upright portion and give the appearance of a higher and more graceful heel, said upstanding wall portion being resilient and biased inwardly to grip the heel portion of the upper.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,252,283 McLaughlin Jan. 1, 1918 1,753,702 Grifiiths Apr. 8, .1930

1,770,261 Barthes July 8, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS 471,932 Canada Mar. 6, 1951 769,914 France June 18, 1934 585,129 Great Britain Jan. 30, 1947 

1. A ONE-PIECE SHOE HEEL ADAPTED TO NEST ABOUT THE HEEL PORTION OF THE WEARER COMPRISING A PLATFORM ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AND SUPPORT THE UNDERSIDE OF THE HEEL PORTION OF THE WEARER, A GENERALLY UPRIGHT SUPPORT PORTION INTEGRAL WITH AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAD PLATFORM, AN UPSTANDING WALL PORTION INTEGRAL WITH AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID PLATFORM, SAID WALL PORTION BEING FLUSH WITH THE SIDE AND BACK OF THE PLATFORM TO NEST ABOUT THE HEEL OF SAID WEARER AND BEING FLUSH WITH THE SIDE AND THE BACK OF SAID UPRIGHT SUPPORT PORTION TO FORM A SMOOTH CONTINUATION OF SAID UPRIGHT SUPPORT FROM THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID UPRIGHT SUPPORT PORTION TO THE UPPER EDGE OF THE UPSTANDING WALL PORTION SO AS TO GIVE THE APPEARANCE OF A HIGHER AND MORE GRACEFUL HEEL, SAID UPSTANDING WALL PORTION BEING RESILIENT AND BIASED INWARDLY TO GRIP THE HEEL PORTION OF THE WEARER. 